PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: Dunkleosteus Revealed As Part Of New Exhibit At Rocky River Nature Center

PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: Dunkleosteus Revealed As Part Of New Exhibit At Rocky River Nature Center

September 18, 2012

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

JANE CHRISTYSON - 216-635-3229 -or- 216-780-9592

BOB ROTATORI - 216-635-3263 -or- 216-339-1699

On Thursday, October 4 at 2 p.m., a fearsome 20-foot replica ofthe ancient fish Dunkleosteus will be revealed as it isliterally ripped from its encasement in a representation of theDevonian Sea.

The replica �Dunk� is just one part of a new, more than2,800-square-foot exhibit at Rocky River Nature Center, with abudget of $45,000 that was entirely conceived, designed andconstructed by in-house staff.

The new exhibit in Rocky River Nature Center interprets thedynamics of the Rocky River Valley, from pre-historic to presentday. The exhibit examines the river, the plants and animalsthat utilize the river, pond life (including a beaver dam andlodge), the geology of the area (including a shale wall wherechildren can search for model fossils), �Dunk,� and the human story(including American Indians and settlers of the 1830s). There are also five aquariums with live fish and frogs, a liveturtle viewing area, and live snakes within the exhibit area,too. All animals and plants on exhibit are native to RockyRiver Reservation. All fossil models have been based onfossils found within the reservation.

Dunkleosteus ruled the Devonian seas nearly 360 millionyears ago before the time of the dinosaurs. �Dunk� lived in thetropical sea that then covered Ohio. �Dunk� fossils ofspecimens up to 20 feet in length are frequently found in the shalecliffs of Rocky River Reservation. But, experts say that �Dunk� mayhave been up to 30 feet in length and weighed as much as 4 tons,similar in size to a modern day killer whale. It is believedthat �Dunk� ate sharks and other marine life with its blade-likejaws and armored head. A mass extinction at the end of theDevonian era caused �Dunk� to become extinct.

�Dunk� and the new exhibit will be revealed soon at Rocky RiverNature Center!

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EDITOR'S NOTE: Members of the media are invited onThursday, October 4 at 2 p.m. to watch an unveiling of the �Dunk�replica by a group of children recruited from Cleveland MetroparksKids Club. Rocky River Nature Center is located at 24000 ValleyParkway in Rocky River Reservation in North Olmsted. "_GoBack">